Kay golfed Wednesday morning, though she did not have a great round, and I played the Diamante Pickleball Ladder in the afternoon, playing better than previously.
She then played pickleball with the Peaches at Diamante on Thursday morning, and I played golf with the guys on Thursday afternoon. Golf with these guys is always lots of fun. In fact, our Tuesday and Thursday golf games and Hole 19s are my favorite activities of the week!
Carolina Chickadees are one of the most popular subjects I photograph, and on Friday, April 18, one posed just long enough for a couple of portraits. (If you want to see more detail, just click on each photo.)
Saturday was without any planned activities, and after a couple of Ruby-throated Hummingbird photos,
a short excursion to Middle Fork Barrens was in order. Many of the target wildflowers were in the final days of their bloom, a few butterflies flitted about, and even a dragonfly landed on a nearby stone.
Easter Sunday was uneventful, and then on Monday, it was back to our regular routines of pickleball—Kay at Diamante while I played at Desoto HSV courts.
A group of Spotted Sandpipers flew though across the lake on Tuesday morning, landing on a neighbor’s rocked bank. These are the first we’ve observed in the neighborhood.
Around lunch, we drove to Bald Knob to watch Ridge compete in a junior high track meet (he’s only in the 7th grade). Prior to the meet, Kay and I had footlong chili cheese slaw dogs at the Bulldog Cafe and Kay topped her’s off with their famous strawberry shortcake. The food was okay, but not near as good as we remember. At the track meet, Ridge did well and had good times, and we were delighted to visit with BIL Gerald and niece Lisa, who met us at the meet.
Kay played golf on Wednesday morning with the Duffers, and shot a really good game with great drives and putts. While she played golf, I took a few photos and then played in a couple of pickleball ladders at Diamante. We were both pretty tired Wednesday evening.
The last couple of weeks have been mostly all about Christmas; actually though Christmas pretty much ended for us on December 22, when we celebrated with most of our immediate family and a holiday meal. More about that later.
The first few days of this “reporting” period involved luncheons and pickleball for Kay while I managed to take a few photos and play a bit of golf and pickleball.
On Thursday, December 19, birds were far and few between, and only a few of the regulars showed up at the feeders: a Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, and Red-bellied Woodpecker.
And then on Friday, December 20, only a Carolina Chickadee and American Goldfinch fed during photo time on the deck.
American Goldfinch
Karyn and her family came down over on Saturday afternoon, and attended church with us on Sunday morning. Ron his family joined the activities after their church. We enjoyed a really nice holiday meal, after which gifts were exchanged. For Kay and me, it was pretty low key, and we really enjoyed the mostly stress-free environment. After the kiddos left, a time of picking up present wrapping waste and then relaxation was enjoyed.
“De-constructing” Christmas decorations followed on Monday and Tuesday. A holiday tradition, Candles and Communion, occurred at church on Tuesday, December 24, after which another holiday tradition, a spaghetti meal at Jim and Jackie’s was enjoyed by Jim, Jackie, Jackie’s sister and BIL, Pam, and Kay and me. It’s nice to have “new” holiday traditions, particularly after divorces from our original families, when all traditions collapse—just sayin’.
A cocktail party honoring the Starr’s was on Friday afternoon at the Janice and Harlan’s; Janice really knows how to host a party, and we enjoyed the hors ‘doeuvres, drinks, and most of all visiting with friends.
Following the party we began seriously packing for our winter stay in Florida.
Departing from home on Sunday, December 29, we stopped in Cordova, Tennessee, for a brief Christmas visit with Jenny and her kids.
Leaving for the winter
The kids are growing so much and its interesting to watch how much they mature between visits. Jenny is doing well and is immensely enjoying her job at the YMCA headquarters. We are so pleased that all our our kids are good parents.
SuttonSutton and JennyLinc and KaySutton and DDBeautiful Harper
Decatur, Alabama, was the first overnight stop on the way to Florida, and an infection had Kay down and out, and very uncomfortable. Consequently, we spent 3 1/2 hours in the ER. It was packed, with most of those present coughing and hacking, likely with the flu. We donned facemarks for personal protection.
After the long wait, and then treatment in the ER, we drove back to the hotel for overnighting.
Our stop in Decatur, Alabama, was chosen because of its proximity to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). After a very short drive on Monday morning, the sound of Sandhill Cranes greeted us upon entrance to the NWR. The cranes were seemingly everywhere.
Wheeler NWR and Sandhill Cranes
Even though the NWR Visitors’ Center didn’t open until 9 o’clock AM, people had already begun to arrive and were walking to their favorite observation sites. After eating the breakfast sandwiches in the parking lot, Kay and I walked to the two-story photo observatory, and began to photograph the birds immediately.
We then walked to several other observation sites, amazed at the number of cranes (between 17,000 and 19,000).
And then it was off to the Florida panhandle where we overnighted at Panama City Beach, the location chosen mainly to enjoy a dinner of fresh Gulf seafood. Dinner was at a highly recommended “hangout” that was only so so.
On Tuesday morning, we drove east and south to The Villages of Florida, the US’s largest 55+ community. After a brief orientation, we found the rental house, and “moved” in. We then joined the Starrs and Grahams for a really good dinner and then music at the Sumter Landing Town Square. People were everywhere! Being old fogies, Kay and I didn’t last too long and returned to the rental house to see 2024 out and 2025 in.
Collection of trails and greenway quotes, terms, acronyms, tools as well as trail publications and presentations and 100s of photos from my bicycle and hiking adventures. .
This journal was begun several years ago, and reflects an accurate record of each day fished. Please enjoy it, and remember that fish are too valuable to be caught just once, and the places they live are too valuable to be mistreated.
Dunngone's Photos and Blog 